The Dodo Archive

Did SeaWorld Forget That India Banned Captivity For Dolphins And Whales?

As business continues to turn sour for SeaWorld in the backlash surrounding their treatment of orcas in captivity at their three location in the U.S., the marine park is evidently scanning the horizon for new opportunities abroad. In a letter to investors posted online earlier this month, SeaWorld outlined that they had their eye on a few possible locales overseas.

"Turning to our international efforts, we continue to make significant progress in our plans to expand our theme parks outside the U.S.," wrote Jim Atchison, CEO and President of SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc, mentioning, along with Russia and Pan-Asia, the nation of India as a prime location to build one of their parks.

The only problem is, India has made its stance on SeaWorld's business model quite clear.

As Ric O'Barry's Dolphin Project points out, just last year India's Ministry of the Environment and Forests announced a ban on "any person / persons, organizations, government agencies, private or public enterprises that involves import, capture of cetacean species to establish for commercial entertainment, private or public exhibition and interaction purposes whatsoever."

The Ministry then went on to say that dolphins and whales "should be seen as ‘non-human persons' and as such should have their own specific rights and is morally unacceptable to keep them captive for entertainment purpose."

Considering that SeaWorld has refused to change their stance on cetacean captivity, despite growing objection to the practice, one can only wonder if the marine park has forgotten India's firm opposition to it.

Or, better yet, perhaps SeaWorld is planning a dramatic change to its current model?